


Naked

by catonthefence



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Creature Jaskier | Dandelion, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Unrequited Love, priscilla is jaskier's sister
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:35:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26774494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catonthefence/pseuds/catonthefence
Summary: aftermath of the Mountain. the heart can only take so much slight till it gives.."Speak when you're angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret"-Ambrose Bierce
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg
Comments: 14
Kudos: 97





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I've only seen Netflix witcher and haven't gotten the chance to read the books. haven't played the games either. first time writing in this fandom, ConCrit welcome but please be gentle. Also, this is unbetaed. I just got kicked in the teeth by feels while listening to my playlist on shuffle and it landed on Naked by James Arthur as I was lurking around Witcher blogs in Tumblr. will be marked complete for now, I honestly don't have a clear idea where this is going...

_I'm not going to wait until you're done  
Pretending you don't need anyone  
I'm standing here naked (naked, naked)  
I'm not gonna try 'til you decide  
You're ready to swallow all your pride  
I'm standing here naked (naked, naked)_

_Jaskier was tired. He didn’t know how long he had been walking. His eyes felt sandy and his throat parched. He hasn’t the vaguest idea where he was, only that he was nowhere near the mountain anymore. He was barely able to say goodbye to Roach, not having enough composure to be able to do anything beyond a quick pat to their neck and a quick hug. He was now seated by a river a few ways away from the road, back resting against the root of a large tree. He knew he had to keep going if he wanted to reach Lettenhove before the Petrifaction starts. He can feel the cold settling in his bones and knows he doesn’t have much time to spare if he wanted to get to the safety of the crypt. Or maybe he could just lay here and look at the stars while he can; wait to watch his last sunrise before the bond fails and he ignites or he’s fully turned to stone for someone to find, whichever comes first. He knows he would do neither, the possibility of Geralt stumbling onto him too big where he is now and he refuses to do that to his sister who will definitely feel him succumb. He stood up wearily and started to run. His control is flimsy as it is given the inner turmoil he was going through and the faster he reaches the manor, the faster he could let himself fall apart. He needed to get to Lettenhove Manor; Priscilla will take care of the rest._

Priscilla knew something was wrong the moment her eyes landed on her brother’s bowed form walking up the tree-lined path of their estate. Worry made her peer into the bond they chose to ignore in respect to each other’s privacy. Fear pushed her walking pace to a run when she was met with none of Jaskier’s usual jovial tones and all she got was bone-crushing despair and cold. Bright blue eyes so much like hers are now hazy and blank. His cheeks pale and clammy, wet with tears that seem to never ebb. Priscilla didn’t need words to know what happened. She could see and feel the signs of a rejected bond spilling out of their fraternal bond and Jaskier himself. Her glowing brother faded and shrouded in so much pain she was almost choking on it. She walked him to his room, helped him clean up and lay down on his bed. Priscilla knew there wasn’t much she could do but keep him comfortable. Their kind rarely ever finds their other half but when they do, they love so strongly and only once. A bond half-formed and rejected like the one Jaskier has is not something they survive. The torment would either drive their minds to break or they petrify. Her brother had found his mate and was turned away. 

At sunrise, she’d sent out word to the people that their beloved wayward count has returned ailing and weak. It’s sunset by the time Jaskier finally closed his eyes, blood-red tears continued to flow down his cheeks. By midnight, she feels the rejected bond inside her brother give its last pulse and watched Jaskier take his last breath. Wailing could be heard from the Manor until sunrise that when she’d sent word of his passing, the people already knew. Priscilla could only watch as her brother slowly froze, his hand never letting go of a piece of parchment in his grasp until the end.

_I’m weak, my love, and I am wanting  
If this is the path I must trudge  
I’ll welcome my sentence  
Give to you my penance  
Garroter, jury and judge_


	2. Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing as I go, still unbetaed. Thank you so much for the comments and kudos, the stat when I checked back took me by surprise. Once again, feedback appreciated but not required.

_You walked into the room and now my heart has been stolen  
You took me back in time to when I was unbroken  
Now you're all I want  
And I knew it from the very first moment_

Geralt is self aware enough to admit that emotions are not his strongest suit. Being a witcher, it was easier to ignore things than try and decode the tangled mess of feelings that could easily overwhelm him. It’s not that witchers don’t feel anything, they feel too much and when you’re alone with no one you can trust, the smallest slip can mean death.

That day in Posada, Geralt’s world was turned on its head and life made less sense. Jaskier, with his eyes blue as summer skies and a smile that could rival the sun, showed him a different side of life he never thought he was privy to. Kindness and care given freely without second thought, affection and touch showered generously. He loved without reservations, freely giving a piece of himself tucked inside every poem, every letter and every song.

Geralt can’t remember when he stopped being indifferent to the songs. Could not tell at which point he went from listening for factual inaccuracies of Jaskier’s accounts of his “heroic” exploits to analyzing the ballads, nitpicking the love songs and hating the songs of heartbreak. The ballads and love songs fill him with longing for something he cannot place. The inevitable heartbreak and songs that comes after his dalliances makes Geralt feel like he wants to fight the world to keep Jaskier from being hurt again. He wanted to take him in his arms and keep him there. He would never dare, of course. Jaskier was all things good in his world, personified and Geralt was a witcher, a monster only good for killing.

One cool spring evening, Jaskier was performing in the tavern of the inn they were staying in when Geralt noticed that the songs changed and the usual rote of songs replaced by unfamiliar serenades no less soulful than before. The mood of the room turned sombre and Jaskier’s voice turned from an airy and wistful tone of a lovesick fool to a croon filled with yearning it made the room take a collective gasp.  
What stood out most was that all of them, regardless of the mood referred to just one person and when he catches Geralt’s eye and smiles, Geralt could almost pretend the songs were about him. He knows he shouldn’t become greedy though, what they have now was enough. Jaskier deserved better; no, he deserved the world.

_I swear that every word you sang, you wrote 'em for me  
Like it was a private show, but I know you never saw me  
When the lights come on and I'm on my own  
Will you be there, will you be there?  
Can I be the one you talk about in all your stories  
Can I be him?_

**Author's Note:**

> I have a [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/cat-on-the-fence) if you wanna reach out


End file.
